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Each week a small segment of Vernon County history is published in the county papers.
For the week of 7/26/2026
by Kristen Parrott, curator
As we commemorate the U.S. 250th this summer, several branches of the U.S. military are also commemorating 250 years. The Revolutionary War began in April of 1775, and three branches of the military were formed shortly thereafter. The army was established on June 14, 1775; the navy on October 13, 1775; and the marines on November 10, 1775. The U.S. declared its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776.
In honor of all of these anniversaries, we are pleased to bring to the museum a traveling exhibit about military mascots. The “Fur, Feathers, and Fidelity: Military Mascots” traveling exhibit from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum features mascots and their important service in the military. This special exhibit will be at the Vernon County Museum and History Center, 410 S. Center Ave. in Viroqua, from Saturday, August 1, through Thursday, August 27. Public hours at the museum in August are Monday through Friday, 11AM to 4PM, and Saturday, 10AM to 2PM.
A variety of mascots dating back to the Civil War are featured throughout the exhibit. You might have heard the story of Old Abe, the War Eagle, who was the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War. This very special bald eagle was carried on a tall perch into battle many times, inspiring Wisconsin soldiers. He survived the war and lived the rest of his long life at the state capitol.
Dogs are a favorite military mascot, and the stories of several are featured in the exhibit, as well as the stories of a monkey and a lion. “Fur, Feathers, and Fidelity” shines a light on the human side of military service and engages animal lovers of all ages. The exhibit is provided courtesy of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, located in downtown Madison. It is funded in part by the Wisconsin Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Here are some other dates for your August calendar: On Thursday, August 13, at 10AM, the genealogy class will meet at the history center for a session about using military records in your research. On Sunday, August 23, at 4PM, there will be a cemetery walk at the South West Prairie Lutheran Church Cemetery in rural Viroqua. And on Saturday, August 29, from 4 to 7PM, the annual Pork Chop Dinner will be held in the parking lot of the history center. More details to come!
For the week of 7/19/2026
by Kristen Parrott, curator
Recently we were given nine diaries written by a Vernon County woman between the years 1912 and 1951. The diary entries were all written in actual diary books, small books published just for this purpose, and not in ordinary notebooks or on scraps of paper as is sometimes the case.
The diaries from the 1910’s and 1920’s were kept in five-year volumes called “A Line a Day” books. The Samuel Ward Company of Boston, MA, published these books so that people could keep “a condensed, comparative record for five years”. The books contain one page for each day of the year, each page divided into five sections so that you can write on it on that date for five years in a row.
The preface to each volume states, “You have neither the time nor the inclination, possibly, to keep a full diary. Suppose, however, out of the multitude of matters that crowd each day, you jot down in a line or two those most worthy of remembrance. Such a book will be of the greatest value in after years.”
Mattie Jackson Seiler wrote in these books for most of her life. She was born in 1888 in Cashton to Mathias and Regine (Hegge) Jackson. Mattie grew up in Westby, and then became a teacher. She taught music at the Vernon County Normal School in Viroqua until she married Henry Seiler in 1922. Henry and Mattie lived in Viroqua, where they had a daughter, Maryellen, and also raised a nephew, Ed Peterson, like a son. Mattie worked as an organist for Immanuel Lutheran and Main Street (now Good Shepherd) Lutheran Churches in Viroqua for about 40 years.
She wrote in the first two volumes, 1912-1916 and 1917-1921, when she was a young woman. (We don’t know if Mattie kept a diary before 1912, but it seems likely.) The next volume, 1922-1926, chronicles the first few years of her marriage.
On their wedding day, November 22, 1922, she wrote, “A perfectly beautiful day for Sy and me – couldn’t have asked for more ideal November weather. I’m not the least bit nervous even if I am to be married! Sy’s mother, sister, and Charlotte came on the South Eastern [train]. Our ceremony was short and simple. Rev. Holum performed it in the Westby Coon Prairie church at 11:30. He was more nervous than we. He gave a good short sermon. In about 20 minutes it was done.”
There’s a gap after 1926, and then Mattie wrote in one-year volumes for 1935, 1936, and 1937. These diaries were kept in “memo books” or “year books” distributed by local insurance companies. Her final three books were back to the five-year volumes, with just a small space to write in available for each day.
Mattie Seiler died January 1, 1953, at age 65. She did not make any diary entries for the last year of her life, being too ill. Diaries can be a great resource for doing local history, and we look forward to using these in the future.
Mattie Jackson Seiler around the year 1920.
The previous two articles: